Travelers' Intercom
Dancing Bear Tours in St. Petersburg
As part of a 3-week, self-planned trip to Northern Europe, my husband, Steve, and I traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, staying only three days, Aug. 23-26, 2017.
Lowest-airfare searches
A subscriber suggested using Matrix.itasoftware.com simply to find out which airline partners fly to particular destinations (“Mileage-award-ticket Secrets,” Dec. ’17, pg. 11).
Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara, Brazil
My husband, George, and I returned on Sept. 20, 2017, from a 26-day trip exploring the beautiful country of Brazil. We think this wonderful place is seriously underrated by many travelers.
Cape Town highlights
I am a longtime resident of Cape Town, South Africa, and have the following suggestions for places to visit.
Kish Island, Iran, and Kuthar, India
While heading to India in October 2017, my travel buddy, Bob, and I had a stopover in Dubai, and we US citizens decided to try the visa-free trip to Kish Island in Iran. Details were scarce, so we went to Terminal 2 at Dubai International (DXB) and started asking questions.
Options for travelers with mobility issues
One of my hobbies is answering questions in ITN’s “Person to Person” column.
Found transfer service unreliable
At the start of a solo trip to Europe, May 12-24, 2017, I arrived in late morning at Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport.
Egypt with Archaeological Paths
I saw Laila Robinson’s request for information (Oct. ’17, pg. 64) on “The Royal Tour to Egypt” from Archaeological Paths (Plac Kaszubski 17/49, 81-350 Gdynia, Poland; phone, in the US, 917/719-1974, archaeologicalpaths.com).
Needed Schengen zone stamps
After taking a Holland America Line cruise, my wife, Bonnie, and I toured the Baltic states in June 2017 with ElderTreks (Toronto, Canada; 800/741-7956, www.eldertreks.com).
OWNRIDES for drivers in Taiwan
My wife and I spent Dec. 1-17, 2017, visiting Taiwan. We arranged our journey independently and traveled around the country using the excellent train and bus systems.
Hiking Table Mountain
A longtime resident of Cape Town, South Africa, I have the following suggestions for anyone planning a visit.
Impressed with Grand Circle’s refund
My wife and I decided to take our first river cruise ever, the 15-day “Great Rivers of Europe” cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna, with Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/221-2610, www.gct.com).
Lending a hand from a distance
I have been traveling since my childhood, and of all my lifelong travel experiences, the following set of events was the most poignant for me.
Sapporo Ramen Show
In 2017, the Annual Sapporo Ramen Show was held May 16-21 and May 23-28, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., in Odori Park, Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. This festival started in 2009 and has grown into a major event. The number of attendees in 2016 totaled 130,000 over the 12-day period.
Bestway custom Balkan tour
Depending on how you count, there are 13 countries on the Balkan Peninsula. My wife, Patti, and I had visited several of these but not some of the newest ones since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
Capital One Venture card
I initially got a Capital One Venture® Rewards credit card because they didn’t charge interest when I used the card outside of the country, plus I got 2 miles for every $1 I spent.
Making friends through travel
Several years ago, while having lunch in Rome, my husband, Bucky Edgett, and I struck up a conversation with a Norwegian couple at the table next to us. They were from Aurskog, Norway. We exchanged contact information and kept in touch by email and Christmas cards.